Winnipeggers to represent Philippines at international puck tourney

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This article was published 24/08/2023 (1109 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The allure of representing one’s country of heritage might be enough for most young hockey players, but that’s just the beginning for Larissa and Hanna Pagdato.

The Winnipeg sisters want to be beacons of hope for the next generation of Filipina-Canadians and help develop the sport they love in the Philippines later this month when they compete on behalf of that nation at the Union women’s ice hockey tournament.

The eight-team event is set for the United Arab Emirates, of all places, Sept. 5-9.

Larissa, 23, and Hanna, 20, whose parents were born in the Philippines, will make the 14-hour flight to Dubai on Sept. 2 with fellow Winnipegger Jordy Santos Wyant, who plays defence at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.

“It was an absolute yes. Like, I will be there to represent the Philippines,” said Hanna, who plays goalie for the Mount Allison University women’s team in Sackville, N.B.

“At first, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m going to miss (Mount Allison University’s) training camp,’ but looking at the bigger picture I think that this opportunity is really going to help people like me, and it just provides someone to look up to. I feel really proud to wear the Philippine crest on my chest and I want to be a good role model to those little girls.”

The Pagdato sisters’ hockey careers have been in lockstep, although they have never played alongside one another. They both grew up watching hockey and fell in love with the sport after watching the Canadian national women’s team capture gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Both registered to play the following winter.

“We sort of fell in love with the game from that… and ever since then, we’ve sort of always had that dream in the back of our mind, of playing for either Team Canada or even Team Philippines,” Larissa said.

The women also have their priorities straight going into their first taste of international competition. While winning is always important, the experience they will be able to bring home is paramount.

“I’m a proud Filipino-Canadian and I think, at the rink, Filipinos are underrepresented and I think that this will help grow the face of the game.”–Hanna Pagdato

“With this opportunity, it just provides another push for a new generation of hockey players and more cultural diversity.”

Larissa, who most recently played forward for the Northern Stars of the Manitoba Women’s Junior Hockey League, now coaches the True North Youth Foundation’s U13 junior Jets girl’s team, where she said there’s “definitely a growing number” of Filipinas in the foundation’s team.

“I think it’s really special, especially since we were born here. It’s a really great opportunity for us to connect to our roots and our cultural heritage. It’s something that we never thought we’d be able to do but I’m really glad that we are doing it, especially with my work,” she said.

“I see hockey becoming a bigger thing in the Filipino community so I’m really excited to, hopefully, share that experience with them when I come back.”

Hanna, meanwhile, has paid it forward by helping young goalies at the RINK Training Centre during summer camps while at home and the netminders at the local high school in Sackville when at school.

“I’m a proud Filipino-Canadian and I think, at the rink, Filipinos are underrepresented and I think that this will help grow the face of the game. All of my coaches that were females didn’t have the same role models to look up to and the game wasn’t as big for them,” Hanna said.

“With this opportunity, it just provides another push for a new generation of hockey players and more cultural diversity.”

The importance of seeing more Filipinas on the ice has only grown as Larissa and Hanna have aged.

Larissa was the only Filipina player on her teams in her playing days, something she said didn’t register until she matured.

“…I kind of started to notice and I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t some discomfort with that, but I never really let it get to my head,” she said. “Because I tried to keep remembering that it is an inclusive environment — or they’re trying to make it an inclusive environment — and, obviously, my teammates and opponents have always been super respectful.”

Unfortunately, Hanna’s career has included some racial slurs

The most recent case came in the form of a micro-aggression earlier this year while at Mount Allison when a spectator noticed the goalie warming up for her game. The spectator made a passing comment about the fact she’s a Filipina playing hockey and carried on.

“It just came out of nowhere, It was very unexpected,” Hanna said.

“For me, it was disappointing for me to have that happen at the rink right before I was about to go out on the ice, but everyone on my team had my back, everyone was super supportive and everything. Those things just don’t belong in hockey and this (is an) opportunity to grow the game and show the world that there is cultural diversity in hockey and there is a place for everyone.”

The pair also has a sense of what a strong showing at the Union tournament could do for women’s hockey in the Philippines: a bit of respect in the hockey world and some more funding for future tournaments.

“That was the first thing that was mentioned when my dad called them, was how this tournament is going to help them establish themselves and find ways to prove that the Philippines can play hockey at a high level,” Hanna said.

Added Larissa: “I think it’s a mix of everything, with regards to bringing experiences back to Filipino Canadians here. I grew up and I was usually the only Filipino-Canadian on the ice, so now it’ll be super special to be able to show to the girls playing now that that’s somewhere you can end up — that’s definitely a possibility for you.

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jfreysam